Playing Witch on Halloween
by HallowedInk
Summary: Beth and Roxie looked at the older girl at their front door and pouted. "That's not what real witches look like." AU


Summary: Beth and Roxie looked at the older girl at their front door and pouted. "That's not what real witches look like."

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Damn.

Happy Halloween people!

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**Playing Witch on Halloween**

"Mummy, will you play witch with us?" Four-year-old Elizabeth "Beth" Weasley and her cousin Roxie, also four, looked up at Alicia with large eyes and pouting lips.

Alicia gave a dramatic sigh as she herded the two youngsters towards the living room.

"Why do you need to play witch if you are a witch?" their father, George, inquired from the couch, where he was fiddling with an unidentified object.

"Because it's Halloween, and we want to be like the muggle witches!" Roxie giggled and watched her aunt cross the room and tear the object from her husband's hands.

"Muggle witches?" George Weasley gave a barking laugh when he heard that. "You don't want to be muggle witches. Real witches are so much better!"

He seemed about to say more, however at that moment the doorbell started giving fake cackles.

"George Weasley, what did you do to our doorbell?" Alicia hissed as she bustled to open the door. Outside, there stood a group of boys around ten years old. "Trick or treat!" they all yelled as she pried the door open.

"Treat," Alicia told them firmly, lifting an orange bowl decorated with bats from the stand next to the door. She offered each of them one, before wishing them a happy Halloween.

"Cool doorbell, miss," one of the braver boys told her with a grin.

"Why thank you," Alicia replied with a laugh, then she decided to have some fun- after all, it was Halloween. "My husband hexed it," she told the boy. He shot her an incredulous look, before running off to join the rest of the group as they headed for the next house in the row.

"Cute kids," George commented as she returned to the living room.

She nodded and switched on the television to the evening news, gathering Beth onto her lap gently. Beth pulled her expression into a frown as she looked up at her mother. "Why we not 'lowed to trickly-treet?"

"You will, darling, when you're older. And just think, then you can dress up like a real witch and do magic for the people when they answer the door!" Alicia was well aware of the promise she was making her daughter, however she knew that both Beth and Roxie would have forgotten it by the next day.

Ruffling her daughter's strawberry blond hair, she tuned her focus into the news, where an unpleasant looking reporter was talking about the increase in trick-or-treaters in towns and cities.

The peace and quiet in the living room did not last long, before the doorbell screeched again.

Alicia went to the door once more, and this time Roxie and Beth followed her like little puppies.

"Trick-or-treat!" an assortment of witches, ghosts and monsters cried out. Beth gave a little scream as one little boy- about seven years old- leered at her, trying his best to keep in character but still bursting out laughing as Beth retreated behind her mother's legs.

"That's not nice, Glen," their supervisor admonished the ghost.

Alicia gently pried her daughter from her legs and lifted the bowl of treats. "Do you want to offer them sweets, Roxie?" she asked her somewhat braver niece. Roxie nodded enthusiastically.

Alicia carefully gave Roxie the bowl and pushed her forward. Roxie held out the bowl with a broad, expectant smile on her cutely childish face.

One-by-one, the children came forward and collected their handful of sweets, until the last child stepped up. It was a young girl, about eight or nine years old, and she was dressed in a very elaborate witch's costume. Her long black dress was ripped, and a loose cloak fluttered over her shoulders in the wind. Her head was adorned with a pointed black hat, and she had painted her face bright green, with fake blood surrounding her lips to give her a surreal vampire-witch look.

Roxie held out the bowl to her, and feeling slightly braver, Beth stepped forward to grip her cousin's hand. The two girls looked at the older girl at their front door and pouted.

"That's not what real witches look like."

Mortified, Alicia hurriedly pulled the two four-year-olds from the door, before turning to apologize to the little witch. "I'm terribly sorry, my daughter and niece, well, they think they know everything about witches. But they'll find out when they start trick-or-treating, won't they?" The witch nodded enthusiastically, as the supervisor herded the children away, and even found it in herself to wave kindly at the two little girls peering from behind Alicia's legs.

As the door closed, Alicia turned to Beth and Roxie. "Now, girls, that wasn't very nice. Not all little girls are as fortunate as you to know what witches really look like."

Thinking of something, Beth giggled happily and asked, "Mummy, what do real witches look like?"

Alicia shook her head and restrained herself from rolling her eyes, as she regarded her little monster of a daughter.

"They look like you, Beth, darling," came George's voice from the living room.

"Me?" Beth asked innocently. Alicia nodded.

"Yes darling, because you're a real witch, aren't you?"

… FIN …

Please read and review. Thanks.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

Nikki x


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